Jeremy Sisto on Losing Titanic Role to Leonardo DiCaprio: "I Was a Little Heartbroken"

Rose and Elton forever? Not so much. Clueless star Jeremy Sisto revealed several years ago that he had recorded a screen test for the beloved part of Jack Dawson in 1997’s Titanic. Reading lines opposite Kate Winslet, the actor, now 40, ultimately lost the part to A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio. Sisto recently spoke with HuffPost Live about losing out on that career-defining role, admitting he still loves the final product.

“That was one of the many, many jobs I didn’t get,” he said, laughing. “It’s always fun to see a movie that you know really well and love with this alternate universe person in there. So while I was a little embarrassed to reveal one of my many failures in life, at the same time I couldn’t deprive Titanic lovers of seeing that alternate universe.”

20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

“I loved it,” he said of the Oscar-winning film. “I read with Kate as well as three other actresses. I was just insanely inspired by it and a little heartbroken when the role didn’t come my way.”

“I was 19 years old so I was trying to figure out who I was,” he said of filming the 1995 teen flick. “So when I think back to that time, it was kind of like my college period. A period that you’re trying to figure out who you want to be.”

When the film became a cult classic, Sisto began to worry that he would be a one-hit wonder.

Now 40, Jeremy Sisto is currently starring on The Returned.Jason Merritt/Getty Images

“For a while I was concerned that I wouldn’t be still acting,” he said of his teenage self. “I was really afraid that was going to happen. I’m really proud to be a part of something that was a big thing for people when they were young. For me it was like Breakfast Club when I was a kid.”